


I Thought I Should Spend My Time Alone

by Chash



Series: Charity Drive 2017 [11]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Minor Monty Green/Nathan Miller, Minor Raven Reyes/Roan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 04:45:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10153958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: Even if he wasn't pretty much in love with Clarke, Bellamy would think speed-dating was a bad idea. Regular dating is bad enough, making it more frequent and faster just sounds awful.But Clarke always knows how to talk him into things.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AliceInNeverNeverLand](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceInNeverNeverLand/gifts).



"So, I need you to come speed-dating with me and Raven," says Clarke, when Bellamy opens his door for her.

"Hi, Clarke, nice to see you. I had a great day at work. It really makes me feel valued when you take the time to say hi and check in instead of just telling me what you want from me."

"Yeah, I know that's one of your favorite things about me," she shoots back, and he can't help smiling. Everything about Clarke is his favorite thing about Clarke; it's a problem. "Seriously, speed-dating."

"Why would I speed-date? Why are _you_ speed-dating? It sounds awful."

"What's wrong with it? It sounds a lot better than regular dating."

"How? I'd rather have one shitty date that lasts an hour than twelve shitty dates that last five minutes each. And the whole point is to meet a lot of new people, which is the worst part of dating. What part of that do you think I'd like?"

Clarke huffs, but she doesn't have a counterargument because the counterargument does not exist. Speed-dating sounds like Bellamy's actual nightmare, and Clarke knows it.

"Okay, I didn't think you'd like anything about it. But I still think you want to come."

"That makes one of us. Seriously, Clarke, who goes speed-dating? Weirdos, losers, creeps, and--" She's giving him a look, and the words dry up. "None of which you are," he adds. "Or Raven. So--"

"Plenty of normal people probably speed-date. How do you think people meet people?"

"Honestly, it's always been a mystery. I still don't know how I met you."

"I moved in across the hall," Clarke says, with a smile that feels dangerously fond. "So, yeah, low effort. The rest of us have to actually work for relationships."

"And you want to work for one?" He puts some effort into not sounding _too_ interested in her response; she hasn't dated since she and Lexa broke up, which made sense to him. It was a serious relationship and a tough breakup, and he didn't blame her for not being ready for anything.

Part of him was hoping she was done. If she wasn't going to be interested in him.

"Raven wants to," Clarke hedges. "Or at least thinks it'll be kind of amusing. And I don't want her to go alone. And you don't want us to go alone."

"Really? I didn't think I cared. What else do you know about me that I don't? Can you tell me how I'm going to die?"

"Of old age, surrounded by people who love you," she says. And then, still without missing a beat, she adds, "You want to come because Raven and I are going to be there, and you're paranoid about what kind of guys do speed-dating, and you'll feel better if you're with us to scare off creeps at the end of the night."

"So you're admitting there are going to be creeps there."

"I'm admitting that if there are creeps there, it would be nice to have additional backup. And I'm sure you think there are going to be creeps there, and now that I told you about it, you're going to be miserable and paranoid the whole night if you don't come with us."

He pauses, and then says, "Fuck you, Clarke."

"So, next Friday? Six? Come over to our place, we'll all walk over together."

"You're paying for me, right?"

"Of course."

"I'm not going to have any fun," he says, his final, futile protest.

She just beams. "I didn't think you were."

*

Raven's the one who opens the door on Friday. She looks him up and down, nods like she's not really surprised, and asks, "So, how'd she talk you into it?"

"She told me that I'd be paranoid about some weird stalker following you guys home, and if I didn't go I'd just be worrying all night."

"Yeah, that sounds right." She steps out of his way so he can come in. "The train's running late, Clarke said she'd be here in like fifteen. And she emailed me some questions for us to review so we can prep."

He snorts. "Of course she did."

"Why do you think I asked her to come with me? I wasn't going to think to look up questions." She pulls a couple beers out of the fridge and offers him one, which he accepts. "I needed someone to have a plan."

"So this was your idea?" he asks.

She shrugs. "Not like any of my other dating stuff is working out. One of my coworkers and his friend helped design this thing, so it seemed like now was the time, right?"

"Why didn't you just ask the coworker out?"

"We're not really like that," she says. At his look, she rolls her eyes. "Seriously. He's great, but we're friends. And I don't date coworkers. But he helped develop the program they're using, so I figured I could be supportive."

The speed-dating thing is more complicated than Bellamy was expecting, so it shouldn't be a surprise that one of Raven's programmer coworkers was involved. He had to download an app and answer questions in advance, and when they get there, they'll have actual _matches_. It seems like a good idea, but also kind of goes against what he understands the point of speed-dating is, which is meeting a ton of random people.

But, again, meeting a ton of random people is basically his least favorite thing, so he's not objecting to this alternate plan.

"And you recruited Clarke?" he asks Raven.

"And she recruited you. That's how it usually goes."

He takes another drink of beer. "Okay, what are her prep questions for us? I need all the help I can get."

Clarke has sent an exhaustive list of ice-breaker questions, grouped by category, because of course she has, and it's probably a bad sign that speed-dating, so far, is just reminding him how into Clarke he is. Then again, everything else does that too, so it's not like speed-dating is special.

She shows up ten minutes later, flustered, with her hair escaping from her bun, and gives them both a quick smile.

"Hey, sorry, train."

"Good thing you told me to be here an hour early and it's a fifteen minute walk," Bellamy teases.

"We've got _prep_ ," she protests.

"You really know how to make dating feel fun and spontaneous."

"We only have ten minutes per person. Don't you want to make the most of it?"

"Not really. I was planning to just be on my phone the whole time." She elbows him, and he grins. "Come on, if we're meant to be, won't it just be easy?"

"Wow, so romantic," Clarke says. "You can go with that. I'm going to memorize some ice-breakers just in case."

They kill a few more minutes drinking beers and bickering about the potential kinds of horrible people they might meet, and it does make Bellamy feel a lot better about the whole thing. Obviously, Clarke could meet some awesome person at the event and fall in love, but she doesn't seem to be taking it that seriously. She doesn't want to be bored or sitting around in weird, awkward silence, so she's preparing questions to make sure she doesn't. That's just how Clarke _is_.

It's already busy when they get to the venue, with a bunch of people milling around on their phones, clearly not sure if they should be talking yet. Maybe if they get to know each other now, it ruins the sanctity of the speed-dating experience. Honestly, he has no idea. The whole thing still feels stupid to him.

"That's Monty," says Raven, jerking her head to an attractive Asian guy on a computer at the front of the room. "My coworker."

"He's the one who decided that picking which color I liked most would say something about who I should date?" Bellamy grumbles, and Clarke elbows him. "What?"

"Whom you should date," she says, innocent. He really does love her.

"Thanks, grammar police." He sighs. "So, there's food somewhere, right?"

It's not a full dinner, just a bunch of apps and drinks, so they grab some and chat with a couple women who aren't totally sold on the speed-dating thing either for a couple minutes, until Raven's friend Monty taps his glass.

"Hey, everyone, thanks so much for coming. As you should know, this is a beta test for our app, so if you've got any feedback about anything, be sure to let me or Jasper know." A white guy next to him raises his glass so everyone will see him. "Yeah, that's Jasper, and I'm Monty. We're going to be in the dating pool tonight, so some of you will have to get to know us better. Sorry about that." There's some laughter at that, and he grins. "Okay, so--two hour-long sessions, you're meeting six people in each. It's actually like seventy minutes with movement and feedback, but who's counting, right? I know ten minutes is a little longer than most speed-dating, but that's because we narrowed down your matches based on the quiz you took. So hopefully you get more time with better people. And if it's more time with worse people, you can tell us in the feedback form on your phones." He glances at Jasper. "That it?"

"I think that's it."

"Cool. Everyone's apps should have all their table numbers, so I'm just going to press go, and we should be set. This is the first one, so we've got five minutes to find the tables and get settled. If you both get to the table early, feel free to take advantage of the extra time. Any questions?"

There aren't any, so he nods, hits some buttons on his computer, and Bellamy's phone buzzes in his pocket. "Table seventeen," he says.

"Twelve," says Raven.

"Four." Clarke gives them both a tight grin. "See you guys on the other side?"

"You mean the fifteen-minute break between rounds?" Bellamy asks.

"Sure, I can mean that."

"Then, yeah, can't wait."

But, honestly, his first few "dates" are fine. He opted to be matched with both men and women, the same as Clarke did, and he's surprised and impressed to find that he does get a good selection of both. And all of them are nice and interesting and cool, people he doesn't mind talking to, but he can't really figure out how to go from ten minutes of conversation to a desire to go on a real date with someone. There just isn't any attraction there.

And, of course, it doesn't help that he can always feel himself looking for Clarke. So after each date, he pulls out his phone, ticks all the appropriate boxes to rate their connection, and then, invariably, no matter how much he's said he enjoyed himself, when he gets to _Would you be interested in seeing this person for more dates?_ he checks no and only feels a little bad.

He'd obviously say yes, if anyone got his attention, but no one has yet. So he's just being honest.

His last match before the break is his most interesting in the first half, because it's Raven's coworker Monty, looking a little stressed and harried, but pleased, too. He's already seated when Bellamy arrives, and offers his hand with a smile. "Hi, I'm Monty."

"Yeah, I heard. Bellamy. You work with my neighbor. Raven Reyes?"

He brightens further, which Bellamy wouldn't have thought was possible. He's like a ray of sunshine. "Oh, awesome! Nice to meet you. Thanks so much for coming."

"Yeah, it's--interesting." He pauses. "Isn't it kind of a pain for you to be participating? What if something goes wrong? Won't you have to leave your date?"

"Honestly, I wasn't really supposed to be. But we had someone drop out last minute, so--here I am. Luckily it was a gay guy so I could just take his matches, but I do feel a little bad. I'm pretty sure most of the people I'm meeting aren't actually into nerds."

"Their loss." He pauses. "What kind of nerd? Just computer?"

"General tech, I guess. Sci-fi, fantasy, video games. Magic the Gathering. All the nerdiest stuff. I might have bailed on this myself if I'd known how cool _Breath of the Wild_ was going to be."

He has to smile. "Yeah? I haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet. It's good?"

"Holy shit, it's _so good_ ," he says, and manages to go with it until the one-minute warning, at which point he realizes what he was doing and flushes. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine." And then, because it doesn't feel like there's a downside, "Uh, so, you are gay? And single?"

"Bisexual. But definitely single."

"Cool, me too." He drums his fingers on the table. "So, I'm not really actually--seriously looking. I just got dragged along. But I'm kind of hoping you're not going to think I'm an asshole if I ask for your number for my best friend. I tried to get him to come along to this and he said, and I quote, _Dude, you cannot possibly expect me to go speed-dating a week after the Switch launch_."

Monty barks out a laugh. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. And he's hot and gay, so--totally an upgrade for you." He unlocks his phone and navigates to a picture of himself and Miller, sliding it across the table to Monty without thinking. Monty raises his eyebrows, and Bellamy winces. "Sorry, this is definitely weird, right?"

He glances at the phone and does an actual double-take. "It was, but now it's not. Please give my number to your hot best friend who loves video games."

"Cool, I'll mark you down as a match. Or just, you know. Ask Raven for your number."

"Cool." He grins. "Nice meeting you, Bellamy."

"Yeah, you too."

He finds Clarke and Raven once he's finished filling out his responses for Monty. They're already at the bar, which for anyone else he might take as a sign it wasn't going well, but Clarke and Raven are big believers in getting their money's worth, when it comes to open bars. They paid their admission, and they're going to get the full value back in alcohol.

"How's it going?" he asks, snagging Clarke's drink and letting her get herself another one. "Find your soulmates yet?"

"Getting closer and closer," says Raven. "You?"

He considers, and then takes a deliberate sip of his cocktail. It's rum and Coke, so Clarke was planning on his stealing it. "Your friend Monty talked about the new Zelda game for ten minutes, so I'm going to set him up with Miller. He seemed cool with it."

Raven thinks it over. "Yeah, that would probably work. Good call. Anyone else?"

He shrugs. "Everyone seems pretty cool. But I don't think this is my dating medium."

"Do you have a dating medium?" Clarke asks, sounding curious.

"Acrylic," he says, and she grins.

"Sounds about right."

"What about you? How are yours?"

She shrugs. "Fine. I don't know if I really want to go on real dates either, but it's at least interesting. A new way to feel like I suck at dating."

"Variety is the spice of life," Bellamy agrees, and Clarke clinks her cup against his.

When his phone buzzes again, it sends him to table twenty-one, with a long-haired, kind of squinty white guy who looks, not to be a poor kid about it, rich and scummy. Bellamy had noticed him across the room earlier, talking to Jasper, and been a little wary. He just doesn't trust rich people. Even Clarke took a while.

But the app seems fairly wise so far, so he can give it a try.

"Bellamy," he says, offering his hand.

"Roan." He looks Bellamy over. "A friend of Raven's?"

"Uh, yeah," he says, wary. "Why?"

"I'm an investor," he says. "In the app. Seeing how the product works out. So I know her through Monty and Jasper."

"Huh. And?"

"Just making conversation. Did you have something better to talk about?"

Bellamy considers it. Mostly he kind of wants to fight the guy, but he thinks he just has one of those faces. "How do you end up investing in a dating app?" he finally asks, and Roan smiles like a shark.

Their ten minutes is mostly about business, with a few leading questions from Roan that are clearly about Raven, but Bellamy has to admit he kind of reluctantly likes the guy. He might even be good for Raven. Maybe the app will figure it out. They've got five more chances.

So, of course, Raven is his next match.

"Where are you from?" she asks, and he snorts.

"That wasn't one of Clarke's questions. Too boring."

"Have you actually asked anyone what their favorite dessert is? Because I tried with one guy and he said _anything I can eat off a beautiful lady_."

Bellamy chokes. "Jesus. I don't even get that. Isn't it sticky? Like--most desserts are sticky."

"You lick the slime off."

"I'm starting to see why you're single, with pickup lines like that." He considers. "My last match had a thing for you."

"Did he want to eat anything off my body?"

"I didn't ask, but I think he'd probably lick the slime off you if you asked. It was that Roan guy. It sounded like he knew you."

Raven isn't really someone who blushes, but there's definitely a little color on her neck. "Yeah? What did he say?"

"You want me to spend my date with you talking about another guy?" he teases.

"Sounds like you already spent your date with him talking about me," she shoots back. "You want to talk about Clarke instead? You get matched with her yet?"

"So, Roan," he says, firm, and Raven smirks and lets him change the subject. So she must really like the guy.

But, if he's honest, he is a little anxious. It hadn't occurred to him, until Raven sat down, that he might be matched with her or Clarke. After all, he came with them. The whole point of speed-dating is to meet new people.

But the app doesn't know that he came with them. So--he got matched with Raven, which makes sense. They're friends. They had sex once, when they first met, and it could have gone somewhere, if either of them had been ready for a relationship. So it seems theoretically possible he could match with Clarke too. 

But he hasn't yet, and he's running out of chances. Not that it really _means_ anything if it doesn't, except that the algorithm is off. Any app that he thinks he's more compatible with Roan than Clarke has some serious issues.

Thankfully for Monty and Jasper's product, she's his last match. He's already sitting at their table when she collapses across from him, giving him a grin. "Hi, I'm Clarke, what's your favorite pickup line?"

He grins back. "Okay, so, first, you have to be either waiting for or already in an elevator."

"Good start."

"Context is everything. I think it works best if you're already in the elevator, and then when the door opens, you give the person an obvious once over and say, _Hey, why go up when you could be going down?_ "

She dissolves into giggles, like he hoped she would. "How have you never told me that one before?"

"You've never asked. Have you really been opening with that?"

"I had to come up with something."

"Any good responses?"

"None as good as yours."

"As long as I'm the best."

Her smile actually makes his stomach flip over. "Always."

They chat about their dates so far, easy and casual, and he knows she has an unfair advantage, but it just makes it so clear how much less interested he was in anyone else, talking to her. Speed-dating isn't for him. He knows exactly what he wants.

The timer on his phone buzzes, and Clarke smirks. "Time to rate you."

"Is there a number lower than zero?" he teases, but he actually _does_ feel a flutter of nerves as he looks at the questions. They're all pretty simple, how well he thinks the conversation went, how attractive he found her, stuff that's supposed to help with the matching quiz and doesn't go to the other person, except to say if it's a particularly strong match. He hasn't rated anyone that low yet, but of course Clarke gets fives across the board. How could he not?

But then there's the final question, the one he's only said yes to for Monty so far: _Would you be interested in seeing this person for more dates?_

He didn't mean it for Monty; that was about Miller. He didn't even think about saying yes for Raven, because that's not how they are. But--this is _Clarke_.

If she says no, they won't match. No one will ever know. And it would feel so dishonest, to lie about it. Even just to an app.

He clicks yes and turns his attention to her across the table; her eyes are still on her phone, and his heart flutters. At least she's taking it seriously. She's filling it out, not blowing it off.

She smiles at him when she's done. "So, ready to go?"

"Just gotta find Raven, yeah."

She's talking to Roan, who was apparently her date after Bellamy, and Clarke teases her about it all the way back, which takes the pressure off of him. He feels stupid with nerves, for all he didn't really _do_ anything. Clarke probably said she wasn't interested, so he won't get anything. His email will match him with Monty, and he'll move on with his life. Clarke will get some dates or she won't, and Raven will hook up with that Roan guy.

But Clarke lingers after Raven goes inside, leaning against the wall as Bellamy unlocks his door. "Hey, thanks again for coming."

"Did I scare off the creeps?"

"I didn't see any, so you must have. But seriously, Bellamy. I felt a lot better with you there."

"Me too." He smiles. "You don't have to thank me, Clarke. You paid, I got some free booze, and my dates were fine, except for the last one."

She smiles, and then leans up and presses her lips against his cheek. "I'm thanking you anyway. Goodnight."

His throat catches for a second, but he recovers. "Night."

*

He's making breakfast the next morning when there's a frantic pounding on the door, which he assumes means Raven went for a run and forgot her keys again, and he opens the door with the spare already in his hand.

"Seriously, how hard is it to--"

Clarke cuts him off with a kiss, which is both the best and most confusing thing that's ever happened to him. It's a hard, decisive kiss, like she's starting a fight or something, and he wraps one arm around her so he can tug her inside, pushing the door closed with his knee and crowding her up against it, kissing back a little softer, trying to tell her she doesn't have to rush without pulling away. At some point, he's going to have to stop kissing her and talk to her about what's happening instead, but her arms are wrapped around his neck and her mouth is warm under his, so he figures it can wait for a while. He's going to enjoy this while he can, before reality sets in.

They make out against the door until the ding of the oven startles them apart, and he stares down at her for a second, torn between utter bafflement and sheer joy.

Her mouth tugs up in a small smile. "My email says you want to go on another date. I might have read into it too much, but--it said you rated me very highly and we were a great match."

He can't help it; he leans down and brushes his mouth against hers again, quick and warm, as affectionate as he wants to be. Her fingers tangle in his hair, and her grin when he pulls back again is the best thing he's ever seen.

"You got a perfect score," he says. "I'd say you're my only match, but I matched with Raven's friend so I can hook him up with Miller, so--"

Clarke laughs and drops her face against his shoulder. He can still feel her smile. "Okay, well--good. That would have been really embarrassing if you were just being nice."

"No, definitely not." He gives her a quick squeeze. "I was making scones for breakfast. You want some?"

"I can't believe you just casually make scones," she says. "It's really unfair. Like you weren't hot enough."

"Lincoln has a thing tomorrow, I'm trying to shame him with my skills." He leaves his arm around her as he guides her into the kitchen, and she leans into it. He might never stop smiling.

"You know he's a better cook than you are, right?"

"I've noticed, yeah." He wets his lips, looks down at her. "So, does breakfast count as a date? I'll throw in coffee."

"I wasn't going anywhere anyway." She hops up on the counter, like she has a thousand times before. But now she tugs him between her legs and pulls him down for another kiss. "But I could use some coffee, yeah."

He bumps his nose against hers. "I thought so, yeah. Did you talk to Raven before you ran over here?"

"She told me that she didn't match with you. And reminded me that she's been telling me you have a thing for me for months."

"She was right." He extricates himself from Clarke to put the scones in the oven and pour her some coffee. "I was just wondering if she said she matched with Roan."

"Obviously."

"So--you and me, Roan and Raven, Miller and Monty. Gotta admit, you were right. Speed-dating works."

Clarke laughs, delighted, and he gives her the coffee instead of kissing her again. He can kiss her later, after all. "Yeah," she agrees. "I'm definitely a fan."


End file.
